In Control Resonant, the entire world is at stake. But that didn’t stop the diligent employees of the Federal Bureau of Control from filing reams of paperwork, and it didn’t stop me from reading everything I could find, either. Reading is often optional in Resonant, but it’s where some of the game’s best details — and even love stories! — can be found.
Bureaucratic Lore and Hidden Stories
There’s a lot to read in Remedy’s Control sequel, even just in the menus. It’s worth taking the time to pore over it all.
In the world of Control Resonant and its predecessor, 2019’s Control, the FBC deals with mysterious, otherworldly objects and entities that defy explanation. But the FBC itself is still an old-school bureaucratic agency, and that means tons of reports and memos and miscellaneous bits of paper to sort through. I like reading, and I especially like reading Remedy’s clever and often funny writing, but I was overwhelmed at first by the sheer amount of text.
Initially I skipped documents that seemed optional: the enemy logs, which are compiled in a separate tab and unlocked automatically after fighting each enemy type for the first time. I was kind of busy just learning how to get around — gravity doesn’t always matter in Resonant’s version of Manhattan. I was also too busy beating down the game’s many Hiss and mold enemies to read about them.
The game’s best documents contain valuable info about the world as well as the personalities of the people in it.
Uncovering a Workplace Romance
But I was having enough trouble with combat early on that I eventually decided to read through the enemy logs I’d unlocked to see if they’d be any help. The logs, compiled by the FBC’s Threat Assessment Team, did actually help; they detail each enemy’s attack patterns and weaknesses. But I was delighted to find that the enemy logs also hide a workplace romantic comedy.
The Threat Assessment Team consists of Rick Patel, who documents the Hiss, and Lydia M.B. McPierce, who documents the mold and some later-game enemies. Rick is pretty serious and straightforward, whereas Lydia finds lots of time to talk shit about the mold in between her regular notes. Opposites attract, though. Across dozens of logs, I saw their individual personalities unfold — as well as the beginning of their love story.
One of the enemies, the Hiss Transporter, is a city bus that’s been corrupted by the Hiss and sends out drones to attack on its behalf. In his log about it, Rick describes the dynamic between the bus and its drones as motherly. Lydia calls him out on this in a separate document about a mold enemy called the Spore Mother, noting she went to therapy precisely to avoid naming things that way. In another document, Lydia teases Rick about beating him at chess and challenges him to a rematch.
Lydia is sassing Rick a little, but she obviously likes how much he cares.
Lydia is one of the best examples in Resonant of how funny Remedy’s writing can be, while Rick is much drier. But he’s also sweet and references Lydia often; in one log, he says that had he realized Lydia had emetophobia, he would’ve offered to trade responsibilities with her. Then, in a document about a particularly dangerous Hiss variant that he came too close to during his observations, Rick finally lays it all bare:
I could have died. Another close call like that and it might just be the end for me. I don’t want to go without taking a chance on us, Lydia. Remember how we laughed at our ideal dates being the exact opposites of each other, how chaotic a pair we’d make? It doesn’t have to be just a joke. I think we could have something real together, you and I. What do you think?
A Rewarding World to Explore
I’m not sure if Lydia has actually seen this note, because I’m still missing one singular enemy log. But I know she likes him back. In a late-game document, as the world is really looking doomed, Lydia adds an aside at the bottom asking him out for coffee if they survive.
Remedy seeds little stories and fun details like these throughout the world of Resonant, not just in written documents. But reading, it turns out, was integral to my experience. I learned how to fight the game’s enemies a little better, and in the process, I was endeared to two characters I never actually met. There’s also a lot more to discover than just office romance, enriching Remedy’s fantastically weird world.
I’m now determined to track down and kill that last enemy type so I can read Lydia’s final log, and I’m sure I’ll stumble upon some other documents I missed along the way. I can’t wait to see what I find.
